Traditionally, astronomy has been an activity which provides little consideration for the comfort of the astronomer. Long hours are commonly spent in the outdoors, or at least at ambient temperature and humidity due to the impracticality of enclosing the observing instruments. While professional facilities have for the most part automated and computerized their telescopes and viewing instruments to obviate need for the astronomer to be physically present at the scope during observations, the equipment generally available at the amateur level precludes such remote viewing.
While many, if not most, amateur astronomers enjoy working directly with their equipment, heretofore no one has developed any supplementary apparatus providing for comfort in the field during observations. While various chairs, optical aids, etc. have been developed, all have enclosures, lack of adaptability for use with astronomical instruments, or other flaws which render them unsuitable for the purposes of the present invention.
The need arises for an astronomy console which provides relative comfort for the astronomer using the apparatus. The console should provide comfortable seating, including heating as desired, and should also provide for the fixed attachment of a telescope or other optical equipment thereto, with the optical equipment and seating being automated to enable the scope or other equipment to track the selected astronomical object. Additional features, e. g., audio systems, computer generated star and planetary charts and the like, etc., may also be provided.